Evaluating Occupational Health and Safety Applications: A Framework for Turkish Container Ports

With the COVID-19 pandemic, sky-high demand for long-distance shipping and remaining incapable of other modes to comply with maritime transport for meeting demand caused port congestion in vital hubs. The situation increased speed pressure that exists for so long on ports. In the meantime, operational speed requirements, port congestions, spread of port services threaten occupational health and safety in port areas. To cope with this risk many regulations and measures were taken by port authorities. In this study, it is aimed to determine the priority levels of the OHS rules applied to prevent possible risks and accidents in container ports. It has also been attempted to evaluate which factors are more effective in the implementation of these rules. Thus, occupational health and safety rules applied in Turkish container ports were determined and evaluated by experts. By this means, these applications were prioritized in terms of their significance levels. In the scope of these applications, prominent factors that threaten occupational health and safety were approached. Thus, a framework related to occupational health and safety rules applied in Turkish container ports and factors threaten them was designated. This framework was analysed and the results brought employee awareness into the forefront to establish reliable occupational health and safety system in Turkish container ports.